Fire Emblem: Forgotten Shadows
by Boolock the Botanist
Summary: While Chrom and the Shepherds fight Grima in order to restore peace to the world, something far more sinister is lurking in the shadows, just waiting for it's chance to throw the world into chaos once more. (Formerly Fire Emblem: Awakening?)
1. Chapter One:Lost

**A/N: Hey guys, this is my very first story ever, so please be gentle. Constructive criticism is welcome, don't be shy about it either, because I probably really need it. But anyways, without further ado, here is my fanfiction!**

Chapter one: Lost…

_Emptiness, that's all I can feel, if it can even be described as feeling. I suppose it's more of a sound than a feeling, or is it a taste, maybe a sight? I can't be sure of anything in this empty place._

_How long have I been here, and how long will I be here?_

_Am I the only one here?_

_Why am I here?_

_What am I?_

_Do I even have a tangible form?...nope, guess not._

_I wonder if this is some kind of purgatory, and if so, what did I do to deserve being sent here?_

_I have too many questions, I should do something to get my mind off of it, but what? There's nothing to do but think, right? Maybe I should check to see if I can do anything…..well, I can make myself tired, not sure how I can be tired without a physical form, but I'm not going to question it since it offers something different than the nothingness I felt before._

_Huh, that's interesting, all of the sudden I feel rather…warm and...wet? but I don't see any water._

_What's happening?_

**A/N: Sorry this was so short, but it is merely the prologue, I promise the actual chapters will be somewhere around 1k words.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter Two:and found

Chapter two:…And Found

**Edit: inserted a much needed line break**

_Ughh…why does my head hurt so bad? Oh, I've been sleeping on a rock…..Wait, why am I sleeping on a rock? Where am I?!_

_Okay okay, calm down, just open your eyes and assess the situation…okay, I'm at the edge of some kind of lake, that would explain why I'm all wet, there are a few animals around, none big enough to worry about though._

_All right, now stand up, steady, don't fall over….okay, I'm good._

_Now, try to remember how you got here…gaaahhh, it's no good, just set up a list of priorities for now, 1: find somewhere to stay for the night. 2: find food 3: I have to find some dry clothes._

_It's been at least three hours and I have found nothing, how out of the way was I?_

_Whatever, focus on the problem at hand, it's dark out, I can barely see, and there's probably no one around for miles, and to top it all off, my legs feel like jelly, I need to keep walking though, gotta find some kind of shelter at the very least._

_Wait; is that a person over there, I think it is, but why are they wearing heavy armor?_

"Hey there, could you-"I began to ask as I tapped the person's shoulder.

My question was cut short as I was hit in the face with a hard object.

* * *

_Huh, I can faintly hear voices, two males by the sound of it._

"So you just hit him with a log?"

_What?_

"He came at me from behind, so I just thought what any normal person would and assumed that he was an assassin."

_Are they talking about me?_

*sigh* "I don't think that's what a normal person would assume, but whatever, just try not to hit someone with a log before you ascertain they're identity next time"

_You tell him!_

"Guys, stop arguing and come over here, I think he's waking up!"

_A third voice, this one seems to be female._

I slowly opened my eyes only to shut them quickly due to the bright sunlight.

_Okay, sit up before opening eyes._

I sat up and opened my eyes to find three people standing in front of me, and one more sitting off to the side.

"Er m ah?" I tried to ask with a dry and stick mouth.

"Beg pardon?" the man on the left said. Oddly enough, he was wearing some rather large and bulky, blue armor. He had messy brown hair and seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face.

"What I meant to say was; where am I?"

"As if you didn't know." Big Blue scoffed

"Frederick, please. Give the man a chance" the man in the middle had spoken this time. "You're in Ylisse, friend." He seemed to be kinder than the man whom he had called Frederick, a fact for which I was grateful.

"And where exactly is that?" I asked

"Oh, another amnesiac? That seems perfectly plausible, first that Robin character yesterday, and now this one. Does this not seem even a little bit suspicious to you, Sire?"

"Frederick, I thought we had been over this, I trust Robin. It's as simple as that."

"But what if he's been acting this entire time, and this man here is one of his accomplices?"

"Frederick!" The girl chimed in "You're scaring him."

_Not really._

"My apologies milady, I got carried away, forgive me."

"Its fine Frederick, just try not to let it happen again." Chrom said

"Yes, milord"

_Now is probably a good time to speak up. _"Are you done? Because I'd still like to know what's going on and who you people are."

"Of course." Chrom answered "I can't answer your first question, but as for who we are; we are the Shepherds, I'm Chrom, this girl is my sister, Lissa, and you've met Frederick already, correct?"

"Briefly." I answered as I rubbed my cheek

"And the man over there is Robin" Robin gave me a small wave "we met him just yesterday, and you seem to have the same problem he does."

_Poor sap._

"I have one more question; if you're shepherds, then where are your sheep?"

"We're not shepherds in that sense, we are figurative shepherds and the people of this country are our figurative sheep, and as their shepherds we do our best to make sure that they're safe and well taken care of."

"Ahahahahah!" Chrom was visibly taken aback at the sudden outburst "How are you able to say that with a straight face?"

"What do you mean?" Chrom said, confusion obvious in his voice.

"I mean, how do you not die laughing while delivering that little speech?"

"Why would I laugh?"

"Oh, come now, surely that speech isn't for real, right?"

"Of course it is, why would I lie about such a thing?"

"Well, it could be some kind of scam trying to get money off of poor, unsuspecting citizens."

"Milord would never do such a thing!" Frederick said, clearly enraged. "Such a notion is ridiculous, why, you should be-"

"GUYS!" we all looked over at Lissa, surprised. "Can't we just get along and stop fighting?"

"You're right" Chrom said "I'm sorry Lissa"

"I'd like to offer my apologies as well" Frederick said "Please forgive me…um, I'm afraid we never caught your name, sir"

"Hershel, Hershel Wile"

**A/N: Well, I'm not completely satisfied with the way this chapter came out, but it was pretty good…..pretty okay, anyway…..actually, it was a pretty okay amount of good, But don't let me rain on any of the parades you may be having.**

**Tell me what you thought in the reviews or through PM, doesn't really matter to me though.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter Three: Surprise Employment

**A/N: Hey guys, here is the third chapter of this okay-ish fanfic. **

Chapter Three: Surprise Employment

**(Third-person POV)**

Hershel observed the others as they ate lunch in silence. Despite the temporary truce, there was still tension in the air. Frederick was still scowling at him, Chrom looked slightly perplexed and uncomfortable, Lissa was trying hard to smile and look unbothered by the tension, and Robin kept starting to say something only to stop and continue eating.

_I should probably apologize and try to make it up to them in some way, if for no other reason than to get Frederick to stop glaring daggers at me._

"Ahem, um, Chrom? I'm…sorry for, you know, insulting you and making fun of your hero's speech, so, um, friends?

The silence seemed like it lasted forever before Chrom spoke up "I'd be more than happy to be friends, but please refrain from arguing with Frederick any further, he tends to overreact sometimes."

"I do nothing of the sort, why does everybody think that?" Frederick asked. He was promptly ignored.

"I'll certainly try my best." Hershel said with a smirk

"Now that we're all friends, can we get going?" Robin asked "I'd like to reach our destination before nightfall."

"Well said, Robin." Chrom answered "We should make haste for Ylisstol."

* * *

As they arrived in the capital, both Robin and Hershel were awestruck by the grandeur of the city. The buildings seemed to sparkle and the roads were extremely clean and well kept. The people were all smiling and talking as if they knew everyone in the city as well as they knew their own family. There were people hanging their laundry out to dry, there were children playing without a care in the world and the city seemed to be absolutely perfect in every way.

"How is it that everyone here is so happy?" Robin asked "I would've thought that in a city this big a lot of people would be impoverished or homeless"

"It's all thanks to the Exalt, she has made this city peaceful, and the peace makes the people happy" Frederick explained

Robin turned to Frederick "The Exalt is your ruler, yes?"

"Yes." Frederick replied "Her name is Lady Emmeryn. And speaking of the Exalt, it seems she has come to visit the citizens."

Robin looked down the street to see a large procession of soldiers carrying standards with the same strange symbol on all of them. In the middle of the soldiers was the Exalt herself, dressed in green sage's robes with a head adornment similar to a halo and on her forehead she bore the same mark as on the standards.

"That symbol on the standards, what is it?" Robin asked

"That is the Brand of the Exalt; it is a mark that every member of the royal family is born with. The Brand is proof of their Exalted bloodline." Frederick said

"Ah, I see." Robin responded "But if she's so important, then is it really safe for her to walk among the commoners?"

"The Exalt is a symbol of peace, Ylisse's most prized quality" Frederick answered "Long ago at the dawn of our age, the fell dragon tried to destroy the world, but the first exalt joined forces with the divine dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Emmeryn reminds us all of the peace we fought for then."

"And with Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her." Chrom added "She's a calming presence when some might otherwise call for war.

"Then the Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her" said Robin

"She's also the best big sister anyone could ask for!" Lissa added

"Yes, I imagine she…wait, what? She's your…" Robin asked with surprise obvious in his voice "But then that would make you and Chrom…"

"The prince and princess, yes" Frederick said "You remember Chrom's name and not this?

"Prince Chrom, forgive me, I should have had better manners, I.."

"Don't worry about it" Chrom interrupted "And just Chrom will do, I've never been much for formalities, anyway"

"But still…" Robin said, feeling slightly more self-conscious about the way he was acting.

"Wait." Lissa said "Where did Hershel go?"

"What do you mean?" asked Chrom "He's right behind…us. Where did he go?"

"He probably slithered away to meet up with his Plegian spy accomplices." Frederick said with disdain in his voice.

"Frederick, please." Chrom said "Let's not jump to conclusions like that without any evidence."

"Yes, milord. It's just that his actions thus far have been cause for suspicion." Frederick said as he glanced around suspiciously.

"But in any case" Chrom began "It seems Emm is returning to the palace. Would you like to meet her?"

Robin merely nodded.

"Well it's settled then" Chrom said "We make for the palace next, Frederick."

"Yes, sire." Frederick responded

* * *

**(Hershel's POV)**

_Hah, they didn't even notice when I slipped away, or if they did notice they didn't care, or perhaps they didn't notice and they didn't care, or did they not care enough to notice, or maybe they didn't notice enough to care, or was it that they noticed something else that they cared about and because they noticed the thing that they cared about, they didn't care enough about noticing me to notice the care I took in slipping away from their noticing gazes...hm, yes, that was probably it. I am so clever._

_Now, where am I? There's a huge white castle type structure in front of me, there are some bushes and trees behind me, I'm standing on a dirt path, and I think I see a couple of armed guards waaaaay to my right, and they seem to be coming this way at an alarming rate._

"Hey, you, what do you think you're doing here?!"

"Who, me?" I asked. Now that they were close, I could see that that one of them was short and fat with heavy armor and a lance that looked much too big for him. The other one was tall and skinny with barely any armor and a short sword at his waist.

"Yes you, who else would we be talking to?" The short one said "But never mind that. What are you doing in the royal gardens?"

_The royal gardens? How did I get here? Either I climbed wall while I wasn't paying attention, or this place has some really incompetent guards._

"Hey, wake up; you haven't answered our question yet."

"Well, my good sir. I honestly have no idea how I got here.

"A likely story. Sir, I'm afraid you're coming with us."

"Why are you afraid?"

"What?"

"You said you were afraid that I was coming with you. Does that mean you're afraid of me?"

"I was kind of wondering the same thing, Bob." The tall one chimed in.

"No, it's just a figure of speech, Bill"

"Then what were you actually trying to say, Bob?"

"What I was trying to say was that we're arresting him, Bill"

"But what-"

_Agghhh, I can't stand listening to these two. Wait, maybe I can escape while they're still arguing, and hopefully they'll care too much about their argument to notice that I'm trying to carefully avoid them noticing me, or perhaps-_

"Hey, stop staring off into space and let's get going" Bob said

_Dang it! I wasted my chance. Time for plan B._

Okay guys, you got me, now just-WHAT IS THAT?!" I yelled as I pointed down the path behind them.

_Just like I predicted, they both fell for it, now I have to get out of here._

I began running farther into the gardens, but it wasn't long before they realized what had happened and came charging after me.

_Gah, how am I gonna lose these guys, I'm already starting to run out of energy. What are my options here? I can let them catch me and throw me in prison. I can try to fight, but that probably won't end well seeing as they have weapons. Wait, a corner of the building is coming up, and there are bushes around that corner. All right, it appears that my best option is to hide._

_C'mon, gotta run faster, just a little bit more and….yes, I made it, I just hope they didn't see me._

"Where did he go, Bob?"

"I don't know, he must have run farther in. Let's go, Bill."

_Hah, losers. I guess I should wait here until the heat dies down, but, it would probably be advantageous and more comfortable to sit in a tree rather than a bush._

I promptly climbed into the nearest tree and made myself comfortable on one of the larger branches.

"Hey, buddy."

"GAH!"

"Hey, keep it down, yeah? I'm over here."

I looked around and found a man sitting on the branch directly to my right. He was fairly tall and lean, but still well muscled. He was wearing some kind hooded cape over some light armor.

_How had I missed that?_

"Why are you up here, guy?" He asked

"I could ask you the same question." I replied

"Eh, I was being chased by some loser guards last night, so I had to hide up here to avoid them. Everything's been on high alert out here because of it."

"Ahah, that's funny. I'm up here for the exact same reason."

"Oh, good. That's a relief."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I'm just relieved that you knew the password, because if you didn't, I was gonna have to kill you, haha."

…_What?_

"Yeah, ha…ha, that's…hilarious."

"Why are you acting so nervous? You are one of the thieves that we hired, right?"

"Yeess?"

"Then you've got nothing to worry about. All you need to know is that the job is in one month, your job is to unlock as many doors as possible and in exchange, you can keep whatever loot you find. Oh, and you're to meet up with the rest of the group inside the palace."

"Okay. Um, what exactly was 'the job'?" I said with a guiltily innocent smile

"Didn't they already tell you?" Suspicion clear in his voice

"Well, kinda…sorta…not really."

"That's okay; I hear the employers have been bad about details lately." He said with a sigh "You and the others have been hired to help us accomplish two things; seizing the Fire Emblem, and assassinating the Exalt."

_Oh, good, I thought it was gonna be something difficult. Ugh, what have I gotten myself into?_

**A/N: I'm quite proud of this chapter and it was fun to write as well.**

**Okay, guys; I need you to give me feedback, I don't care if it's through review or PM, I just really need feedback because I don't know if you guys like it, or if it's a total train wreck of a fanfiction. So please give me some kind of feedback.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter Four: Preparations

Chapter Four: Preparations

**(Hershel's POV)**

_Oh no oh no oh no oh no. What am I gonna do? I just unwittingly got hired to help assassinate the Exalt, and if I don't follow through with the job, they'll probably hunt me down and kill me. On the other hand, if I tell Chrom and friends, I'm sure Chrom will be forgiving, but Frederick will throw an axe through my face before I can finish explaining myself._

It had been nearly two hours since the assassin had left and I was still nowhere near to finding a solution to my problem. The best solution I had found so far was taking a boat to a remote island, but that plan seems to end the same way as the others; with me dying an early death.

_Okay, just calm down. First, I need to get out of the palace gardens, but how? The front gate is probably closely guarded due to my incident earlier, but I can't just scale the wall. *sigh* I guess my best bet is the front gate._

_All right, jump down from the tree….ACK, didn't realize how high up I was. Ooh, that's gonna bruise._

_Back to the task at hand. If I remember right, the front gate should be around this corner and down the path a bit…Ah, there it is. Now, how do I get past the guards stationed there, hmmm. Maybe if I hide in the shadows as I sneak past, but they'll be expecting me to walk in the shadows, so perhaps I should walk in the well lit areas to avoid their gaze, but then again, they'll be expecting me to expect them to be watching the shadows, so in reality, they'll be watching the well lit areas, ergo, I should walk in the shadows. But what if they're expecting me to expect that they'll be expecting me to walk in the shadows? But if they are then-_

_Wait, where am I? This isn't the royal gardens, this looks like the middle of the street…..Hmm, I really need to figure out how I do that._

_Well, at least that's one problem solved. Now I need to find somewhere to stay for the night, but how am I going to find an inn when there's no one around to ask? And more importantly, where am I going to find the money to pay for a room? Maybe I can just beg for a free room, no, that'll never work. What am I gonna do?_

"Hi, Hershel." A voice said right next to me

"GAH! Where did you come from, Lissa?

"Well, we saw you standing in the middle of the street and we decided to say hi."

"Against our better judgment." Frederick added

"It's good to see you too, Frederick."

"Where did you go earlier?" Robin asked

_Oh, what do I do? Should I tell them? If I don't the Exalt is going to be killed, but if I do, they'll probably suspect me of being a conspirator, and then I'll get arrested and or executed...errrr...I guess for now I'll just keep it to myself and make sure to tell them later, hopefully in a situation where they don't all have weapons within their reach._

"Well, I was, uh, you know, doing stuff." I answered. I was rewarded with a suspicious glare from Frederick.

"Have a good night, Hershel. I hope we see you again." Chrom said.

"Oh, uh, yeah, you too."

I watched as they walked away until they appeared to be nothing more than specks in the distance. Suddenly I remembered that I had nowhere to go tonight.

_Dang it! Why didn't I follow them? They probably have somewhere I could've stayed. *sigh* I suppose an alleyway isn't too bad a place to sleep._

* * *

**(?'s POV)**

As my consciousness floated in this empty void, I once again contemplated my downfall at **HIS** hands. How had he beaten me? I, who had powers that surpassed those of even a god. How had he destroyed my centuries of hard work and my perfect plan? It was unthinkable, it was impossible, and yet he had done it with nothing more than a few so-called friends and a couple of dusty relics. No matter how many times I run it through my mind, I still cannot even fathom how he had done it. But one thing was for sure, I needed to make preparations for my escape from this void, and when I escaped, I would wreak havoc upon the world he had fought so hard to save, and it was going to be delicious.

* * *

**(Robin's POV)**

Chrom, Lissa, Frederick and I had finally arrived at their destination.

"Here we are! The Shepherds' garrison." Lissa said with a smile.

-Time-Skip-

_Well. _I thought to myself. _The introductions last night went well, I suppose. They're a strange lot, to be sure, but I suppose I should get used to it, seeing as I'm stuck with them now._

_I wonder what I'll need to bring on the trip to Regna Ferox, I guess I'll just bring my sword and my thunder tome, I mean it's not like I'll need anything else, right?_

* * *

**(Hershel's POV)**

I was awoken early in the mornig to the sound of someone grunting and coughing. When I looked around to find the source of the noise that interrupted my extremely manly dreams that definitely had nothing to with rainbow ponies and pink clouds, I found that a man was being beaten and or mugged by two twigs of men.

_How does that happen?_

"Um, excuse me, sirs. Do you mind? You kinda interrupted my sleep."

One of the two thugs turned to me. "Oh, I'm sorry. Here, let me make it up to you."

_ACK! Okay, got kicked in the stomach, was not expecting that._

"Now back off, kid." The thug said

_Okay, I can stand being called kid, or getting kicked in the stomach, but when both of those things happen at once, it means someone's gonna get hurt._

"All right, guys, I'll be on my way. But first, I need to tell you a secret, c'mere."

Just as I had hoped, they both fell for it, and they both came closer to hear the 'secret'

_Morons._

Once they got close enough, I gave the both of them a nice, healthy knuckle sandwich. Once they were on the ground, I gave them both a sharp kick to the stomach, just so that they could have the experience of feeling it firsthand.

_I'm so nice._

Once the two thugs had run away _(were they really that weak?)_, I helped the beaten man up, and I was able to get a better look at him. His skin was very well tanned, He had a long, dark brown ponytail, and his eyes were an electric blue color. He was wearing a simple shirt and pants, a leather duster, a wide brimmed hat, and a pair of worn leather boots.

"Hmph, I could've taken care of it myself." The man grumbled

"So why didn't you?" I replied

"I have my reasons, now go away."

"A 'thank you' would've been nice." I said as he was walking away.

"Fine. The tournament to decide the head khan of Ferox is going to be soon, and I hear the khans will pay well for strong fighters, so if you have talent with a weapon, I suggest you go. That's my thank you."

"What makes you think I need money?"

"…You were sleeping in an alleyway."

"Point taken."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to be going." And with that, he left.

_Well, I don't exactly have talent with a weapon, but I've got no better choices, and I'm sure I can practice on my way to this 'Ferox' place. But before I can leave, I'm going to need to get a map, a weapon, some food, a waterskin, some new clothes and anything else that might be useful._

_I have to wonder, though; who was that man?_

**A/N: Well, another chapter finished. I didn't like this one quite as much as the last one, but I guess it was okay. And I'm sorry Robin's POV was so short, I just didn't want to do the entire scene with Robin being introduced to the Shepherds, but I wanted to show that they got to the garrison and that the introductions and the announcement of the trip to Regna Ferox happened.**

**Also, I would appreciate it if you guys could send in some ideas for a new title for this story, because I'm not really satisfied with the current title, but it was the only thing I could think of though.**

**Please tell me what you thought of this chapter through either review or PM.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: Battle for the Northroad

Chapter Five: Battle for the Northroad

**(Hershel's POV)**

_Whew, just barely made it. I don't understand what they're so bent out of shape about, I mean, it was just a waterskin…and a bit a jerky…and a sword…and I might have borrowed a couple sets of clothes too, but it's not THAT big of a deal. And I'll make sure to pay them back later...probably…maybe._

Earlier that morning, I had 'borrowed' a couple sets of the same outfit, and man, did I look good. I was wearing a simple white shirt with a leather vest over it, a pair of black pants, a pair of black steel toed boots, a black hooded cape and a pair of fingerless gloves. Also, I had my white hair slicked back.

Now that I had my supplies, it was time to hit the road, and hit the road I did. For reasons unknown to me, Naga had seen fit to make me trip on the smallest pebble in the road, which in turn, made me go down for a spectacular face plant.

Pretending that it never happened, I stood up, brushed myself off, and I was back on the road, albeit with slightly less enthusiasm.

As I walked down the road, I took this moment to appreciate the nature. There were trees off to either side of the road with sunlight filtering through the leaves, there was a rabbit hiding in a bush, there were deer grazing in a field behind the trees, and there were birds chirping in the trees. Everything looked perfect.

I walked for a little while longer when suddenly there was a rustling noise in the bushes off to my left. I drew my sword from the scabbard at my waist and slowly made my way towards the bushes. When I got close to it something jumped out of the bush. I swung my sword wildly in an attempt to defend myself. My sword hit something and I felt victorious. As I stopped swinging in order to see what it was, I found myself face to face with a Pegasus…I didn't feel quite so victorious, all of a sudden. As I inspected the Pegasus further, I noticed I had put a gash in its leg.

"Oh, heh, sorry about that." I apologized

The Pegasus snorted and promptly attempted to trample me.

"Gah! Hey, I said I was sorry! Could you please stop?!"

It finally ceased its attempts to kill me, after which it flew away.

_What was that all about? Oh well, there's nothing life can throw at me that can ruin my optimism._

* * *

_Oh how wrong I was._

I had been walking through the forest, minding my own business, when I happened upon some guys with red glow-y eyes fighting Chrom and some of his friends. I figured I would just walk around the battle when one of the weird guys spotted me and decided I was a prime target. I drew my sword and waited for him to come to me.

_He's raising his axe, and now it's coming down. Dodge to the side, and stab the chest. Hah, no match for me and my superior skills._

I slid my sword out of his chest and let his body flop to the ground. I began to walk away, when something grabbed my ankle. I turned around in horror and found that the guy I had just stabbed was still alive.

…_..KILL IT WITH FIRE!_

I panicked and did the first thing that came to mind; I kicked it in the face, after which I proceeded to cut its head off. As soon as I finished, its entire body dissolved into purple smoke.

_What is going on?! What was that?! Was it some kind of monster? Where did it come from? Why was it here?_

During my fight with that thing, Chrom and friends had finished off the rest of them. Given the circumstances, I decided that it would probably be best to get as much information from Chrom as I could.

"Hey, Chrom, wait up!" I called as I ran towards them.

"Who goes there?" Chrom said as they all drew their weapons and looked towards me.

"Whoa, take it easy there, guys. It's just me."

"Hershel?" Chrom said, recognition showing on his face.

"Yeah, it's me, and I have a couple of questions that I need answered."

* * *

**(Robin's POV)**

_Who is this Hershel, guy? I met him back when I met Chrom, but I still have no idea who he is, or if he's even an ally. From what I've seen, he seems to be on our side, but that could change at any moment. For all we know, he could be an assassin, planning to murder us in our sleep. Ugh, I'm starting to sound like Frederick._

_But it's still frustrating to not know anything about him. I can't make any plans or take counter measures without knowing his fighting style or knowing how he thinks. He hasn't done anything yet, but he could try anything at anytime._

_I still don't understand how Chrom can trust him so implicitly. But then again, he did the same for me without second thought, despite Frederick's paranoia. So I guess I should give him a chance like Chrom gave me. But I'm going to be keeping an eye on him regardless._

* * *

**(Hershel's POV)**

"So, what questions did you want to ask me?" Chrom said as he sat down.

After we met on the battlefield, we had decided it would be best to make camp for the night.

Currently, Chrom and I were in the tent used for meetings.

"Well, first off, I would like to know exactly what those things were."

"Those are undead warriors that we have dubbed 'The Risen'. They're more resilient than humans and they appear to want to kill anything and everything."

_No crap, Sherlock._

"Where did they come from?"

"We don't know exactly where they came from, but the night before we met you, we witnessed them coming through a giant blue…thing in the sky."

_Well that helps a lot._

"Just one more question; why do you trust me as much as you do?"

"Well, I've been given no reason to distrust you, and you don't seem to be an enemy."

"Right. Well, I thank you for answering my questions, but I must be on my way."

"What? Where are you going?"

"I have places to be and things to do. And so, I bid you farewell." I said as I started walking out of the tent.

"Uh, okay. Goodbye."

_Yeeeaah, I didn't sound shifty at all, no siree. Not the tiniest bit._

* * *

**(?'s POV)**

Hah, I have finally found a way to watch the outside world from this prison of solitude.

Hmm, so far things seem to be progressing well, if things keep going at this rate, my plan will come to fruition and I will be released back into the world. But there is one minor problem; it seems this 'Marth' person is trying to interfere with my plan. But no matter, I'll just send more presents to interfere with his plans.

**A/N: Sorry that there wasn't much action, but I promise that there will be action at some point.**

**Also, I was wondering what pairings you guys want me to put in here, because I don't know which ones to do. So let me know through PM or review, which pairings you want.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter Six: Shank or Shiv?

Chapter Six: Shank or Shiv?

**(Hershel's POV)**

I walked out of the tent Chrom and I had met in and looked around the camp, I noticed that there were quite a few more people than I remembered being with Chrom. I chalked it up to his ability to trust people too much, and continued on my way.

As I was leaving the campsite, I glanced over my shoulder one last time and noticed that Robin was staring at me with a wary look. When he noticed that I was looking at him, he gave me nod and walked away.

_Weirdo_

I left the camp and started making my way through the forest until I found a clearing in which to make my own encampment. I built a fire and then just sat there, staring into the flames and thinking about my life thus far.

_Let's see, I woke up in the middle of the woods a few days ago, got smacked in the face with a log, traveled to Ylisstol with Chrom, unintentionally got hired to help with an assassination plot, and started traveling towards Ferox in hopes of getting a lot of money…I really need to do something that doesn't make me seem like a total scum bag._ _Maybe if I save some orphans, or babies, or baby orphans._

_Step 1: Find baby orphans_

_Step 2: Make sure they're in danger_

_Step 3: Save them_

_Yeah, that's a solid plan right there. Well, better get some sleep so that I'll have enough energy to save those baby orphans tomorrow._

* * *

"HAH, HYAH, HIYAH."

I had woken up fairly early that morning, and quickly repacked my stuff, after which I decided to train with my sword. I thought I was doing pretty well; I could hit the tree almost every time!

_I'm so awesome_

"Um, excuse me."

I whirled around to find the source of the voice, and was shocked to find that the voice came from a man standing behind me that looked exactly like me!

"Who are you, and why do you look like me?" I said as I gripped my sword a little tighter.

"What?...Oh, I'm sorry, just give me a second." He said

Before my very eyes, he started to…change. It was as if his entire body was just melting.

_Nasty._

When his 'transformation' was complete, he looked completely different; rather than the outfit he was wearing when he looked like me, he now had on a blue long sleeved shirt, over which he had on some light chainmail and over THAT he had a leather jacket that was tight around his torso, but then seemed to flare around the waist.

He had white leggings with brown boots, silver knee guards and around his waist he wore two blue belts.

_I don't think there's anything more excessive than that._

In addition to all that, he had accessories, specifically jewelry, which included: three silver rings on his right hand, two on his left, small silver studs in his ears, three necklaces that were red, blue and purple, a simple silver chain around his neck, and to top it all off, there was a long silver chain wrapped around his head twice like some kind of headdress.

_I stand corrected…_

And lastly, I noticed that his skin was extremely pale, his eyes were blue, and his hair was strawberry blonde, but it could easily be mistaken for orange.

"Uh, hello?"

I was snapped out of my thoughts by the mysterious stranger.

"You've been standing there and staring at me for the past few minutes. Are you okay?" He said with a raised eyebrow

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, it's nothing."

_Curse me and my genius, over analyzing mind._

"But that's beside the point; why did you look like me and then not look like me?"

"Trade secret." He said with a smirk. "By the way, I'm Frey Ferris."

"Hershel Wile." I responded as I shook his hand

"…But anyway, I approached you because I seem to have run out of water and 'cause I….."

"What? I couldn't hear that last part."

"I need a travel partner." he said quietly

"Ehhh, no." I replied

"What? Why?!" He said, surprise evident on his face

"Because I don't need you dragging me down."

"Do you at least have some water you could spare for me?"

"No, but there's a lake about five minutes to the west if you want to get your own water."

"Ah, I see, thank you. (Douche)"

"What was that?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

"Whatever you say. See you around."

And with that I continued on my way, determined to get to Ferox soon.

* * *

**Two day later**

_Ah, this must be Ferox, it's a little chillier than I expected, but at least I'm here._

The last two days had gone by uneventfully. All that had happened was training every morning and night and a lot of walking.

Ferox was a lot different than I expected, I thought it would be more like Ylisse, but it was totally different. There was beautiful snow everywhere, and it was at least two feet deep in every direction. To either side of the road there were dense forests of evergreen trees capped with snow. And in front of me, I could see a stone structure coming up and I assumed it was probably the gate into Ferox.

_I wonder what the people of Ferox are like; I hope they're like the Ylisseans._

"Hey, you, stop where you are!" A guard yelled as he ran towards me.

"Oh, good day. Could you direct me to where the man in charge is?"

"You're under arrest, scum."

…_.What?_

"I must have misheard you; I thought you said I was under arrest."

"No, you heard me right. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"Can I at least ask why I'm being arrested?"

"Playing innocent, huh? Fine, there were over thirty eye witnesses who saw you leaving the West-Khan's residence last night with a bag full of valuable goods."

_Well, this is a fine mess. I wonder if I can trick him the same way I tricked the guards in Ylisse._

"Hey, what's that behind you?!"

_Well, the Feroxi guards are obviously better than the Ylissean guards. I can't believe he didn't even turn around…Ferox sucks._

I was currently sitting in a dark prison cell, and as far as prison cells go, it was pretty nice. The floor was pretty clean, there was a mattress on the bed, and the walls were a soothing shade of grey.

_Now that I'm done admiring the room, how do I get out of here? Let's take a quick look around; there are bars on the window, so that's a no-go. The walls are made of stone; I don't think I can get through that. And the door is made of thick metal. Hm, I wonder if I can make a prison shank out of one of the legs of the bed…wait, is it a shank or a shiv? I should probably know that now that I'm in prison._

"Wow, I'm surprised you haven't made a prison shank yet" A voice whispered through the little window in the door.

_Aha, so it is a shank…wait a minute._

"Who are you?" I answered back in confusion

"It's me." The voice responded

"That doesn't answer my question."

"It's Frey Ferris."

"Who?...Oh! You're that one guy that was wearing my face…you know, come to think of it, that was a real douche bag move."

"Yeeaah. But anyway, I'm here to bust you out." He said with bit of nervousness in his voice

"Two questions: Why and how?"

"I've impersonated one of the guards and I stole the keys. As for the why, well, it might be my fault that you got arrested in the first place…" He answered, with a nervous chuckle.

"How is it your fault?" I asked

"Well, I might have kinda used your face while I was fleeing from the scene of the crime." He responded, guilt lacing his voice.

"…Scum bucket…"

"Yeah, umm, oh, hey look, the door is open now."

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get out while we can."

* * *

**(?'s POV)**

How interesting. It seems that no one but Marth knows what I'm planning, or even that I'm the one planning them! Sometimes I have to wonder if it's worth all this effort just to destroy creatures that are this unintelligent, but then again, it would be merciful to obliterate them.

On a different note, I would love some company right now. I wonder if I can seal someone in here with me. Hmm, I'll put some thought into that later…

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but in my defense, I got mono, and then my dad and my sister both went in for surgery. That's a good excuse….right?**

**Okay guys, I need to your input; should I put the Einherjar in this story? Let me know through PM or review, I would also appreciate feedback on how I'm doing with this story.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Confusion

Chapter Seven: Confusion

**(Robin's POV)**

"What do you think, Robin?" Chrom asked

"Yeah, I guess we could help out, I see nothing wrong with trying in any case." I answered

We were nearing Ferox when a group of traveling merchants, fearing for their goods, had asked us to help them. Apparently, there was a master thief on the loose that had not only robbed one of the khans, he had also escaped from prison just a few hours ago. The merchants had given us a crudely drawn wanted poster and told us that the thief was supposedly leaving town soon.

"All right then, I'll gather everyone and bring them here for a quick briefing after which we'll search the surrounding area." Chrom said and quickly left to find everyone.

I took another look at the wanted poster and couldn't help but think that the thief looked slightly familiar.

_Must be my imagination._

* * *

**(Hershel's POV)**

My life officially sucks. Right now I'm hiding out in a cave a little ways outside of Ferox, I'm a fugitive, and to top it all off, Frey followed me for whatever reason and he had the nerve to make himself look like me.

"Why do you have to look like me, again?" I asked with a sigh

"Because I can and because I want to."

"…I can respect those reasons…" I said "But what do we do now? I mean, we can't hide forever."

"Weeelll, we could just grab the bag of goods that I stole and hightail it over to another country." He said while scratching his chin.

"Remind me why you stole the goods in the first place."

"Because...I could and because I wanted to?" He said, making his answer sound like a question

"You know, even though I think those are respectable excuses, that does not mean you can use them for everything."

"But-"

He was cut off by someone outside the cave. "We know you're in there, thief. So come out or we're coming in!"

"What do we do?" Frey whispered

"How the heck am I supposed to know?!" I angrily whispered back. "You're the reason we're in this situation in the first place!"

_GAH! What can I do except surrender? There has to be another way!_

"I have a plan." Frey whispered with a smug grin on his face

_Oh? All right, let's see what he does. _"Go for it." I whispered

Frey stood up and began his plan. "We surrender!" He yelled

…_..WhhaaaaaaaaAAAAATTTTT! That was the plan!? Ugh, it's not like we could do anything else though, I guess._

We walked to the exit of the cave and to my surprise, there were no Feroxi guards, instead, I found Chrom, Robin and the rest of the Shepherds waiting outside.

"Oh…hi Chrom." I said a little awkwardly.

"Hershel? You're the thief? And why are there two of you?"

"Well, funny story." I began "I got arrested for the theft, but my doppelganger is the one that actually committed the theft."

"Throwing me under the bus? That's low." Frey said.

I turned to look at Frey "…The heck is a bus?" I asked

"Ya know…I'm not sure." Frey said with a thoughtful face as he scratched his chin

"O…kay, but that still doesn't answer why there are two of you to begin with."

"it's because we're uh, twins! Yeah, twins." Frey said with a bit of panic in his voice. He leaned over to me and whispered "Play along if you want your cut of the goods."

_I was getting a cut of the goods? Somehow it seems wrong to take them since they were stolen…but what do I care? It's not like they can pin anything on me, now that I have a 'twin'._

"Yeah, we're twins." I said with a convincing smile.

"How come you never said anything about a twin before?" Robin asked with suspicion written all over his face.

"First of all; you never asked. Secondly; I had amnesia, remember?"

"I suppose." Robin said with only slightly less suspicion.

"You know Robin; you're starting to act like Frederick more and more." I said

"I resent that!" Frederick and Robin said in unison.

"Well," Chrom began "Regardless of whether he's your twin or not, you did admit that he committed the crime, so we're going to have to turn him over to the Feroxi soldiers."

"I would like to add that Hershel was my accomplice." Frey said

* * *

The prison door made a loud clanging sound as it closed.

"Great job, Frey." I said as I glared at him. "Now we're both in jail." I looked around the cell. _I think this is the same cell I was in before. Mmm, I missed you, soothing grey walls._

"Well I couldn't let you out of my sight; you might've left without me."

"Why do you keep following me anyway?"

"I told you back when we met in the forest, I need a travel partner."

"Why?"

"Because."

*sigh* "Whatever." _I better get to work on a prison shank._

* * *

**(?'s POV)**

Haha, excellent, I have successfully trapped someone else in here with me. I now have company to entertain me.

"Um, excuse me but, who are you, where are you, why can't I see you, and where am I?"

"Who I am is irrelevant at this point, I'm over here, you can't see me because we are essentially nothing and we have no bodies, and you are in a void of pain and despair."

"Oh…but if we don't have bodies, then why can I hear you?"

"Because it's not so much hearing as it is telepathy."

"Ah, I see. Well, I would love to stay, but I really must be getting back to my own place and time."

"You will do nothing of the sort, I brought you here for a purpose, and you will not leave until that purpose is fulfilled. Besides, Jagen, nobody will miss you, and trust me, I mean no one."

"I'm not so sure-"

"DO NOT DEFY ME!"

"Oh…okay."

_Excellent, I have already bent him to my will. The world will soon be mine._

* * *

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. This is probably my second favorite chapter and it was pretty fun to write. Tell me what you thought about this chapter through review or PM, let me know what I can improve on as well.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8: Traveling Partners

Chapter Eight: Traveling Partners

**(Hershel's POV)**

"C'mon Frey, you can do this, you're almost there."

Frey was currently trying to pick the lock using wires from the bed frame, so far he had managed to break two pieces of wire, but I had a good feeling about this piece.

"I think it's almost unlocked." Frey said.

We sat in silence for a few minutes as Frey kept working, eventually, I heard a click.

"Did I just hear the door unlock?" I asked Frey.

"No, that was the sound of the wire breaking."

_Gosh dang it, Frey._

"Now what are we supposed to do?" I asked

"Well, we could kill the prison guards with the shank you made."

"I would rather it not come to that, but if we can't find another way out, then we'll go with that plan."

_Let's see, the only ways in or out of this cell are the door and the barred window. So far, the door hasn't been very agreeable. And the window doesn't seem to be much better._

The cell door squeaked open and the two of us turned to look. There were several heavily armed Feroxi soldiers waiting outside the door.

"Get up, scum. You are to be brought before the West-Khan for your final judgment." One of the guards said with a sneer.

"What if we refuse?" Frey asked

The guard merely tapped the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Then by all means, lead the way." I said

We were handcuffed and led out of the prison and into a small town where everyone looked like they were cold and no one looked like they were happy. As we walked through the town, I could see the people looking at us, whispering to each other and glancing at us out of the corners of their eyes.

"They're looking at us." Frey whispered

"They're probably only looking at us because there are more than just one or two guards escorting us." I replied

"You're probably right; it's still a little unnerving though."

"Just don't pay attention-" I was cut off by a soldier delivering a quick jab to my stomach.

"Quit your whispering!" The guard said.

I kept walking, but I was having a hard time breathing.

"Heh, loser, you can't even take-" The same guard jabbed Frey in the stomach.

"You too." The guard said

_Hah, who's the loser now?_

* * *

We finally reached the West-Khan's residence. Now when I think 'Residence', I'm thinking a mansion or something, but this was no mansion, it was a full-fledged fortress!

_How the heck did Frey manage to break into this place?! It's enormous! And I'm sure there's no shortage of guards in there. It seems like it would be nigh impossible to get in there, let alone steal from the treasury…I'll have to ask him about that later._

While I was lost in thought, the guards had led us through the 'residence', and we now stood before the double doors to the throne room. Two of the guards opened the doors and ushered us in while two more guards followed behind us with their hands on their weapons. We walked towards the throne upon which sat a dark skinned man with an eye patch. The guards brought us closer and forced us to our knees. We looked up at the man we presumed to be the West-Khan and we suddenly realized the gravity of the situation once we saw the scowl on his face. The three of us stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until I spoke up.

"Uh…hi." I said nervously

Frey looked at me like I was crazy, and the man just stared harder. We stood in silence for a little while longer, when suddenly, the man looked like he was going to say something, but he didn't say anything, instead he began to laugh hysterically. Frey and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows, then back at the man.

"Ahaha, nope, couldn't keep a straight face." He said as his laughter died down. "Sorry about that, someone dared me to not talk and keep a straight face for thirty minutes, but I couldn't do it."

"Wait, that's why you were staring us down?" Frey asked

"Do you have a problem with that?" the man asked, suddenly serious.

"Ah, no, no problem." Frey said

"Good." The man said "Oh, but where are my manners; my name is Basilio, and I'm the West-Khan, but I'm sure you already knew that."

_Nope._

"Now, I had you brought here because I must address an issue. You two stole from my treasury and normally, I would have you both hung in the middle of the town square, but I feel that you two could be useful to me, after all, you managed to get in and out of my palace without being seen by any of the guards, and you almost got away without being seen too. Because of this, I've concluded that you must be master thieves, and I am in need a few more thieves. So, here is my deal, I'll pardon your crimes, and in return, you will work for me. What do you say?"

"What's the alternative?" I asked

"Certain death."

_Hm, killing seems to be the quick way to resolve things here in Ferox, but at least they're honest and to the point._

"Well, I think I speak for both of us when I say that we accept your terms." Frey said.

"Excellent, I'll still be keeping an eye on you, though." Basilio said "Lon'qu, please escort them to their quarters."

A man stepped out of the shadows next to the throne and motioned for us to follow him.

_How long has he been there?_

This man, Lon'qu, led us through the palace until we came to stop in front of a door.

"These are your quarters." Lon'qu said

"Uh, thanks." I said

He merely nodded and walked back the way we came.

_Quiet fellow._

Frey and I entered the room; it seemed to be exactly like our old prison cell, except with proper beds, some furniture, and a couple of candles.

_At least it has those soothing grey walls._

"Well, I think it's about time we started getting used to these types of rooms." Frey said

"I think you're right." I told him "I doubt this was the last adventure in which you and I will get thrown in prison."

"So, does this mean that we're traveling partners?" He asked hopefully

"…Yeah, I guess so." I answered

"Awesome." He said with excitement in his eyes.

_It looks like we'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow._

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, Remember to leave feedback through PM or review.**

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	9. Chapter 9: A Deal with the Devil

Chapter Nine: A Deal with the Devil

**(Hershel's POV)**

_What is this place, and why is it so empty?_

I was standing in a big white room, there was absolutely nothing distinguishing about it, it was just a white room. As I surveyed the room, looking for a door, a featureless apparition appeared.

"Hello." It said. From the sound of its voice, I deduced that it was probably a he.

"Uh, hi. If you don't mind my asking, who are you, and where am I?" I asked

"This place is a prison of sorts, and I its sole prisoner. And as for who I am, I am a long forgotten shadow of the past, you may call me Omofrisit." He answered "But where are my manners. Please, take a seat."

I looked around to find somewhere other than the floor to sit and found nothing. Just as I was about to ask where I was supposed to sit, I looked back at Omofrisit and saw that he was already sitting at a white table with matching chairs. I decided not to question it and took the seat across from Omofrisit.

"Uh, thanks, but, why am I here, did I do something wrong?"

"You've done nothing wrong; you're here because I summoned you." He explained

"Oh…I don't remember being 'summoned' though."

"There's no reason you should remember it. I summoned your mind while you slept."

"Okay, why did you summon me in particular?"

"I didn't, I summoned many people, and you were merely the first to answer the call." He explained. "But enough with the questions, I summoned you here because I wish to ask for your help in freeing me from my prison, because, as you can imagine, it gets rather boring sitting in a white room for ages."

"Yeah, I'll bet that does get pretty boring, but what reason do I have for helping you? And you said this was a prison, so for all I know, you're in here for a really good reason." I said

"I understand where you're coming from, but I'm merely here because I had a…disagreement with a past king, so he overreacted and had me sent here." He said

_That…sounded rather suspicious…_

"Hey, it's your decision whether or not to believe me, but I am telling the truth." He said

_Huh, his statement was well timed; it was almost as if he could hear my thoughts._

"I can."

_Oh, so you can read all of my thoughts?_

"Yes."

"Then what am I thinking of?"

"You're thinking of how much you hate asparagus."

_Oh, he's good._

"Thank you."

_DANG IT._

"Can we please get back to the original topic?" He asked with a sigh.

"Oh, uh, sure….um….What were we talking about?"

"I was asking for your help in getting me out of here."

"Oh, right, I knew that, just had to test you."

"…Right. Anyway, are you going to help me or not?"

"That depends, what am I getting out of this?" I asked

"Hmm, power and riches?"

"It's a deal!" I said quickly

"Great, let's get down to business then. I have a plan in mind already, but it has a lot of inner workings, so you'll need to come back to see me often."

"How often are we talking?" I asked as I leaned forward in my chair.

"Somewhere between two and three times a day."

"WHAT! I can't do that, I have stuff to do. If I come back here three times a day, I'd be spending almost all of my time here!"

"Well, yeah, but it's not like you have anything important to do."

"Be that as it may, I still like to be conscious for more than a few hours every day."

"Fine, if you see it as THAT much of a problem, I'll try to find another way." He said with a sigh as he put his head in his hands. "I'll bring you back tomorrow night; I should be able to do something by then."

"All right, cool, now how do I get out of here?" I asked, getting up from my chair.

"How do you think?" He said, pointing to the right. "You go through the only door here."

I looked to where he was pointing and saw a pair of large black double doors.

_I swear that wasn't there before._

"It wasn't." He said

_Dang it! I forgot you could do that._

"Well, that's your mistake."

_Yeah, whatever, I'm leaving now._

He didn't respond. I looked to the where he was sitting and found that he was no longer there. I shrugged and walked towards the door. As I got closer to the doors, it seemed that they got bigger and bigger the closer I got to them. When I finally reached them, they were so large that I couldn't even grab the handle.

I tried scaling the door to get to the handle, but it seemed to be coated in a slippery liquid. Just as I was about to give up on trying to open the door, my foot hit a button on the bottom of the door frame. I looked up, expecting the door to open, instead, a trap door beneath my feet opened and I began my descent.

_Oh, real mature, Omofrisit._

"_Sorry, I couldn't resist." _His voice said in my head

_GOSH DANGIT, MAN._

* * *

I was shaken awake by Frey.

"C'mon, get up, Lon'qu came to get us for something, and we'd better not keep him waiting." Frey said

"Lon'…qu?" I asked groggily

"Yeah, don't you remember? He's the Khan's lackey."

_Oh yeah…great…_

* * *

**(Omofrisit's POV)**

_Yes! I finally found someone dumb enough to agree, this is gonna be great…it does concern me that he's that dumb though…oh well, with my coaching he'll be able to make the right choices._

"Jagen! You're services are no longer necessary, you may go home now."

"Oh, thank you, but…how do I get home?"

_My goodness, why do I always end up with the idiots?_

"It's through the giant black double doors, Jagen."

"Ah, I see. Well, I'll be going now."

I watched as he exited the doors. As soon as he was gone, I let out a sigh of relief. At least I wouldn't have to deal with his uselessness anymore.

* * *

**(Marth's POV, a long time ago)**

Today has been a fantastic day, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, the kingdom is peaceful, and my good mood unstoppable. Today, life seems to be a game that-

"Sire, Jagen has returned!"

-just can't be won…

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this is so late, my computer crashed and I lost all of my notes, so I had to get my computer back up and running and then I had to write this from scratch.**

**Sorry to any Jagen fans out there, I just always found him to be extremely useless, thus the bashing.**

**Please leave feedback, either through PM or review.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter Ten: Training

Chapter Ten: Training

* * *

**(Hershel's POV)**

"So, um, where are we going, Lon'qu?" I asked

"Basilio has asked that you two be trained. After all, we can't have mediocre soldiers." He answered

"Who says we're mediocre?" Frey asked

Lon'qu merely glanced at us over his shoulder with one eyebrow raised.

_Point taken._

We stayed silent as we walked through the halls of the palace, which was very impressive, but not like other palaces. It was made of simple grey bricks and the decorations consisted of nothing more than torches and windows, but the place was enormous and made you feel rather small if you looked up at the ceiling.

We finally reached the doors to what I assumed was the training room. Lon'qu opened the doors and I expected to see a few practice dummies and some wooden swords laying about, but instead, I was greeted with the sight of dozens of people practicing with each other, tons of practice dummies lined up near the walls and there wasn't a single wooden practice sword to be found, instead there were numerous iron weapons of every kind; there were swords, lances, axes, bows and arrows, knives and a bunch of other weapons that I couldn't identify.

"So, where would you like to start?" Lon'qu asked as he turned to us.

Frey and I scanned the room a few more times before we answered.

"Ah, I'd like to start with knives, if that's okay." Frey said, still looking around the room in awe.

"Certainly. You'll find the knives over next to the swords, and the close combat instructor should be near there as well." Lon'qu said

Frey started towards the knives before almost getting skewered by someone's lance. After that, he was careful to skirt around the edges of the room.

Lon'qu turned towards me, expecting my answer.

_Well, I've already trained a little bit with a sword, but on the other hand, there are a lot of weapons that might be easier to wield and to carry with me. Hmmm…..I guess for now, I'll go with swords and if I want to use something else later then I can try that out._

"I'll try swords." I told Lon'qu.

"Very well. The swords are over this way, and I will be your instructor." He said

_Really? Huh, didn't expect that._

We walked over to a barrel filled with iron swords, Lon'qu drew two from the barrel and tossed one to me, I promptly missed it and it clattered to the floor.

_Dangit._

I picked the sword up off the floor and turned to face Lon'qu. Before I could react, he lunged at me and scraped my ribs.

"Lesson number one: Never let your guard down, regardless of the situation." He said.

"Okay, that's all well and good, but you didn't have to go and slice me open!" I said

"You're over-reacting." He said simply

"Well maybe I am, but it doesn't change the fact that—GAHH!" I was interrupted by a cut to my leg.

"Lesson number one!" He said

_Oh, so he's gonna be that guy, huh? Well fine._

I got back into my fighting stance, wincing slightly at the pain in my leg, and prepared to fight. I stared him down for a while before making a swipe at his leg. He easily blocked it and proceeded to kick me to the floor.

"Lesson number two: Don't leave yourself open after a stroke." He said.

_Easier said than done._

I took a swipe at his leg as I was getting up; once again, he blocked with extreme ease and sliced my forearm.

_Gosh Dangit!_

We continued like this for several hours, taking short breaks every now and then. By the time we were done, I had cuts and bruises on every part of my body, I was exhausted and I hadn't managed to strike Lon'qu even once.

We decided to call it quits for the day and get some sleep. As we walked to the barrels of weapons to put our swords away, an idea struck me, I smiled to myself and kept walking. When we reached the barrel of swords, Lon'qu put his away and I moved to do the same. I lifted my sword to put it away, but instead of placing it in the barrel, I swung it to my right and struck Lon'qu's arm. I looked over at him and realized that I had not hit his arm; he had pulled an axe out of a different barrel and blocked my strike. My feeling of victory had vanished in an instant and was replaced with a feeling of depression.

"Good try, but you didn't really expect to catch me off guard with such a simple tactic, did you?"

_What a douche._

I accepted my defeat and placed the sword in the barrel.

Lon'qu and I found Frey by the practice dummies, practicing his knife throwing. I watched as he threw his knives with deadly accuracy.

_Glad to see one of us made some progress today._

We watched until his instructor declared that he was done for the day. Frey put the knives away and walked over to us. He looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat during his training.

"Hey, Hershel. How did training with Lon'qu go?" He asked.

I simply glared at him.

"That bad, huh?" He said as he began to notice my many cuts and bruises. "Well, I had a good day at least. By the end of my training for today, I was able to accurately throw my knives."

I sighed and said nothing and merely gestured for Lon'qu to lead the way. He did so and we began our walk back to the room.

As we walked down the halls, I thought about the figure in my dream.

_He had called himself Omofrisit, right? Why did I feel like I should recognize that name, it seemed so familiar yet it also seemed so new and strange. And now that I've thought about it, his voice was awfully familiar too. Where do I know it from? Gah, it'll do me no good thinking about right now, I'm already physically exhausted as it is, I don't want to mentally exhaust myself too._

I was roused from my thoughts by Lon'qu, who announced that we had reached the room.

_Ah, finally, I'll get to rest. I'm so tired I could fall asleep right here._

I was about to enter the room when Lon'qu stopped me. I turned to look at him in confusion.

"What's the problem?" I asked

"You need to go to the infirmary to make sure none of those cuts are infected." He answered

_SON OF A—_

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, because I really enjoyed writing this one. Remember to leave feedback either through review or PM.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11: Another 'Dream'

Chapter Eleven: Another 'Dream'

**(Hershel's POV)**

After my trip to the infirmary, I returned to my room and I was finally able to get some sleep. As soon as I closed my eyes, I found myself in the white room once more. I looked around and saw that the table and chairs were still present, but the doors were not.

"Hello again." A voice said from behind me.

I turned around to find that it was Omofrisit, but this time he wasn't entirely featureless; He now had something resembling a face, but it wasn't quite right. The eyes had no pupils, the nose was only half formed and only half of his mouth could open.

"Hello, I guess." I said as I visibly cringed at his appearance.

"Oh, I'm sorry; my new face must have startled you, but don't worry, this isn't the final product, it's still a work in progress." He said with as much of a smile as he could make. "But that's not why I've called you here; I called you here because I have found a way to be in constant contact with you."

"Great. What is it?" I asked.

"Well, I'm going to implant myself in your mind so that I can give you instructions and advice whenever you need them." He said

"…Is there any other way?" I asked hopefully.

"No, I'm afraid there's not, but it will only be temporary anyway. After I complete this project…" He said while gesturing to his face. "I will be able to take on a physical form and interact with you face-to-face."

"Ah, I see. And how long will it take you to complete your 'project'?" I asked

"I'd say a couple of weeks, but who knows? It could take anywhere from a few days to a few years. After all, replicating the human body isn't as easy as it looks."

"Okay, well, can you get the implant done so I can get back to sleeping. I have a feeling that I'll need all the energy I can get." I said.

"Ah, quite right, let me just…" He cut off mid-sentence.

I watched him for a while, wondering if he was going to finish his sentence. After a while I got bored of watching him and decided to see if there was anything new around the room…nope, nothing new. I looked back at Omofrisit, but he had vanished.

_Gaahhh, where did he go? I still need to get out of here!_

_**Don't worry, I'm right here. I finished the implant while you weren't looking.**_

_Well thanks for letting me know before I panicked._

_**Hey, there's no need for sarcasm. Now if you'll just let me concentrate, I need to transfer my things to my new place of residence.**_

_Yeah, whatever._

I waited quietly while he moved his things, but then a thought struck me.

_Hey, if you're going to take on a physical form later, will that mean that I've fulfilled my end of the bargain?_

_**Not quite. It's true that I'll have escaped my prison, but my magic will still be stuck in this white room.**_

_Oh…okay, I guess that makes sense._

_**Good, now if you would like to leave, the exit is over that way.**_

_I can't see which way you're pointing…_

_**Behind you.**_

I turned around and saw that the exit was indeed there, but it was a bit different this time; instead of the massive doors that were here last time, it was just a regular sized door. I walked to the door and eyed it warily, remembering what happened last time.

_**Oh, come one, just do it.**_

_Fine!_

I turned the doorknob only to find that it was locked. Just as I was about to ask Omofrisit about this, the floor opened up beneath me.

_**I'm sorry, I couldn't resist…again.**_

* * *

I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

"Wake up. It's time to train. You have five minutes to get ready." Lon'qu's voice drifted through the door.

I sat up and looked over at Frey's bed as I stretched. He wasn't awake yet. I walked over to his bed and tried to shake him awake, he still wasn't waking up. I pulled the covers off of him and saw that he didn't look like me; I guess he could only do that while he was awake. After I pulled the covers off, I tried a few different methods of waking him up, none of which worked.

I sat on my bed I tried to think of more ways I could wake him up. Just as I had found a method that might work, I heard Lon'qu's voice outside the door tell us that time was up. He started to open the door and I panicked. I ran over to Frey and threw the covers back onto him just as Lon'qu entered he room.

"Let's go, we have a lot to work on today." Lon'qu said, just as stone faced as ever.

He looked over at the lump under the covers that was Frey and started towards him. I quickly blocked his way and was rewarded with a scowl.

"What's the meaning of this?" He asked.

"Uh, well, you see, um, Frey has a, uh, sickness, and I just wouldn't want you to catch it." I said with some hesitation and a nervous laugh.

"He should go the infirmary then." Lon'qu said

"Oh, well, he can't because, umm-" I was cut off by Frey's voice coming from the heap of blankets.

"Come on, guys. Don't fight over me." Frey said as he sat up, looking (thankfully) like me.

"Come, we've wasted enough time already." Lon'qu said.

I let out a sigh of relief and followed Lon'qu out of the room.

_Disaster averted._

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**A/N: So, Somebody had asked if Frey looks like Hershel all the time and whether it tires him out or not; Frey only looks like Hershel when he's awake and even then only while there are other people around. And yes, it does take energy to transform his appearance, but it doesn't take a ton.**

**But anyway, let me know whether you liked this chapter through either a review or a PM, and also tell me what I can improve on.**

**Last thing before I sign off here; I would like to ask for some ideas on an appearance for Omofrisit when he gets his human form, you don't have to, but it would be nice if you did.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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